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Here is a dish that I tried/came up with this weekend that came out really nicely for me.
Balsamic glazed chicken:
Marinade:
1/2 c good Balsamic vinegar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c soy sauce
a few dashes of hot sauce of your choice (to your desired level, but the heat is a play off of the sweetness of the rest of the sace)
minced garlic (garlic powder could be substituted)
sprinkling of rosemary (italian seasoning could also work here)
6-8 chicken legs or thighs on the bone.
Mix marinade well, then combine in a bag and mix around to coat meat well. Allow to marinate at least 4 hours (next time I might even go overnight). During the marinading time, be sure to go back and mix and turn chicken occaisionally to ensure good coverage and moisture to all parts of the chicken.
Pre-heat oven to 425-430, and prepare a baking sheet with foil and a coating of olive oil. Place the chicken on the sheet, and season well on both sides with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Reserve the marinade. Bake for 30-35 minutes, turning once. You are looking for a good, deep color on the chicken without overcooking.
While the chicken is baking, bring the marinade to a boil, then drop the temperature and simmer it until it is reduced. The heat will kill any bacteria and this will leave a nice thick sace to set aside.
When the chicken is done allow it to rest 3-5 minutes, then either brush the chicken with the reduction or even dredge it in it. Serve with a nice rice and roasted veggie for a side.
As one good veggie that can easily cook with it, you can take:
Roasted cajun corn:
Husk fresh ears of corn, take medium to large squares of foil and spread butter across it, then coat the butter liberally with Tony C's or other cajun seasoning. Roll the husked corn around in the butter and seasoning to coat liberally, then seal the corn in the foil. Corn can be cooked at same temp as chicken for 35-45 minutes turning once to give a delcious seasoned corn on the cob side.
What kind of "good" balsamic vinegar are you folks using? A "good" balsamic vinegar is expensive. Anyway, it's too sweet. I hope you don't mean the industrial stuff.
But here's the nectar of the gods. Amazon even has it on Subscribe and Save. This stuff is beyond description. Drizzle a touch on your hot dog or ice cream and share it with your dog. Be careful about sharing with cats. After tasting it once they may require some with every meal.
I've made Giada's Balsamic Chicken several times, and it's very good. It's similar to this recipe, but hers uses honey and maybe a few different things. The color of the chicken once it has been marinated and cooked is a little unappetizing to me, but it tastes so good that I really don't mind.
As far as balsamic vinegar goes, I've been using this, and that's about as good as it's going to get in my house : All Things Italian
What kind of "good" balsamic vinegar are you folks using? A "good" balsamic vinegar is expensive. Anyway, it's too sweet. I hope you don't mean the industrial stuff.
But here's the nectar of the gods. Amazon even has it on Subscribe and Save. This stuff is beyond description. Drizzle a touch on your hot dog or ice cream and share it with your dog. Be careful about sharing with cats. After tasting it once they may require some with every meal.
I cannot imagine combining either of the above vinegars with brown sugar and soy sauce.
No I am not talking about using a fine dining quality high end balsamic, but the lower end things also have a flavor that is just not right. I can't remember which one I picked up last I was at the store, I will try different brands at different times. I am just saying instead of buying a cheap $5-8 bottle, look for something a little nicer and better quality in the $12-15 price range.
The ballance to me and my guests came out to be really nice, with the sweetness of the balsamic and brown sugar ballanced by the saltiness of the soy and the touch of kick from the hot sauce. It is still on the sweet range of the pallete but it made for a nice, complex flavor that was pretty nice.
Obviously it is a simple and not a complex recipe, but as a meal that was very minimal fuss it greatly satisfied my guests and I will definately add it in to my rotation.
I've made Giada's Balsamic Chicken several times, and it's very good. It's similar to this recipe, but hers uses honey and maybe a few different things.
If you are saying that hers used honey in addition to the base ingredients I have above I would think that might push it too far to the sweet side unless there were other things as well to counter ballance. I really enjoyed this recipe, and although ballanced with some complexity it still was towards the sweet end of the spectrum.
Quote:
The color of the chicken once it has been marinated and cooked is a little unappetizing to me, but it tastes so good that I really don't mind.
The color on mine did come out very dark, but I expected it with the balsamic. For some reason I didn't think to take a picture of the final product like I often do but it definately looked very dark; to me though that read as nicely glazed as opposed to burnt, and there was certainly no charred or burnt taste at all.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by texantodd
If you are saying that hers used honey in addition to the base ingredients I have above I would think that might push it too far to the sweet side unless there were other things as well to counter ballance. I really enjoyed this recipe, and although ballanced with some complexity it still was towards the sweet end of the spectrum.
The color on mine did come out very dark, but I expected it with the balsamic. For some reason I didn't think to take a picture of the final product like I often do but it definately looked very dark; to me though that read as nicely glazed as opposed to burnt, and there was certainly no charred or burnt taste at all.
Let me ask you this, while brown sugar is on my shopping list. I'm not partial to sweet flavors. Is there anything, besides brown sugar, that I could add to the balsamic so that it wouldn't be so sweet? I know, that would totally change the recipe (which I will still make as you posted if you can't think of an alternative).
Let me ask you this, while brown sugar is on my shopping list. I'm not partial to sweet flavors. Is there anything, besides brown sugar, that I could add to the balsamic so that it wouldn't be so sweet? I know, that would totally change the recipe (which I will still make as you posted if you can't think of an alternative).
Let me make a suggestion. Don't use balsamic vinegar; use fresh lemon juice. Add the soy sauce and enough brown sugar until it's just barely approaching the degree of sweetness you prefer. Then slowly add red grape juice while tasting until it reaches your preferred degree of sweetness. The taste will be tart and clean but still reminiscent of the OP's recipe..
Giada has,a,fantastic balsamic and sugar reduction to drizzle around filet topped with goat cheese.
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Be careful about sharing with cats. After tasting it once they may require some with every meal. 
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